Nothing says fall to me like pork chops. I’m ready to start wearing sweaters, but I’m stuck in the south where the heat is still looming. Regardless of temperatures I live in jeans year round because I’m a grown up lady now. Are shorts still worn, and by whom? Not by me, that’s for sure. I tried to wear a pair of light pink shorts this year but ended up looking like I wasn’t wearing pants. This is my life. So I’m back to jeans, and hopefully the temperatures will follow me into fall. These are not the dried out flavorless pork chops you know, but delicious jammy seared pork chops that are seared and then stewed with white beans in a beautiful sauce with fresh thyme leaves.
Something I love about pork chops is the versatility. They love a good searing and browning. You could even just buy them, slather on honey or jam and sear them on both sides and serve it this way! It makes a really beautiful crust. But, my jammy pork chops are seared and then stewed because pork chops tend to be on the dry side, and they could use some sauce! What’s a good sauce without white wine and herbs? A bad sauce.
Let’s get started on this recipe! Start by drying off your pork with a paper towel. Then sprinkle each side generously with kosher salt. Now, smear your pork on both sides with apricot jam. You could also use peach jam. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, or maybe a smidge above. You could also use a stainless steel skillet. I avoid nonstick here only because it doesn’t brown as well. Add your butter to the skillet and let it melt. Once the butter is melted, add the chops, searing four minutes on each side. The jam will probably begin to burn, and when it does, add a tablespoon of white wine and keep cooking. Keep adding wine when it burns if you need to.
Once the chops have cooked 4 minutes on each side, remove them to a plate and keep the juices in the pan. Add the chicken broth, a little dijon mustard, and any remaining white wine and let it simmer down for a minute. Add the shallots, garlic, and thyme, cooking down until they’re slightly soft.
Add the pork back into the pan and let it finish cooking in the sauce for another two minutes or so. That’s it! Taste the dish to see if it needs any salt, and serve immediately while it’s hot. See the full recipe below.
- 4 boneless pork chops
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 tbsp apricot jam
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup white wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 tbsp dijon
- 2 shallots, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 2 tsp fresh thyme, stems removed
- 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
- Dry the pork chops with a paper towel then salt each side with the two teaspoons of salt. Smear each pork chop on both sides with the jam. In a ten inch skillet, add the butter over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot and the butter is melted, add the pork chops, searing for four minutes on each side. As the jam starts to burn, add the white wine to deglaze the pan, a tablespoon at a time. Remove the pork from the pan and put on a clean plate, leaving the remaining juices and jam in the skillet.
- In the same skillet, over medium heat, add any remaining wine, broth, and dijon, stirring to deglaze the pan. Add the shallots, garlic and thyme leaves, bringing up the heat until the pan bubbles, then simmering over medium heat for two minutes. Add the white beans and simmer an additional two minutes.
- Add the pork and any accumulated juices into the pan nestling them into the beans. Let them simmer in the sauce until no longer pink when cut into, about 2 minutes. Taste for salt. Serve immediately.
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